By Chaos, Freelance Writer 
Rass Rod
RASS ROD has issues with what he perceives the non-acceptance and lack of respect for dub poetry and the Jamaican dialect.
In fact, he has also come up with a term for dub poetry - 'poemtry' - in order to differentiate it from the more traditional forms of verse. "Dub poetry has standards that can match any international poetry. If we don't free that, dub poetry and dialect will not get the respect they deserve. That's why we focus on 'edutainment', the literary skills we have, we need to put that forward," he said.
A founding member of Dub Traffickers and the Dub Traffickers Poemtry Sound System, Rass Rod started writing poetry during a stint at the Federal Detention Centre in Hopedale, Louisiana in the United States, where he was doing time on drug-related charges - for 'herb' as he puts it. "Yuh see when yuh freedom remove from you, you either become wise, you become foolish or you remain the same. I chose to become wise," is how he explains his entry into the world of verse. "When me start write up there, me realise poetry have power. The man them never really lock me up, they meck mi use the computer, maybe tru' mi did have manners," he laughs.
DEPORTED TO JAMAICA
He was deported to Jamaica in 1992. "When mi come back, I heard Mutabaruka on Irie FM promoting a poetry event at the House of Leo, led by Elaine Thomas-Gifford called 'Jus Poets'. After 13 weeks me and DYCR come out as the two best poets. Mutabaruka bless wi. While DYCR was in studios, I found myself gravitating towards the business of poetry. I met Nabbie Natural, Nabbie is the person who became my role 'module', him have all the information, know the most poetry, know the most poets, in talking to Nabbie I realised poetry could make money. He led to become a word contortionist and I decided to live with Nabbi for six months, when all the energy I had was diverted into poetry, he was the person who feed mi intravenously all the info - we saw that poetry is one of the most viable avenues to wealth, linked to reggae," Rass Rod said.
The creation of Dub Traffickers followed in 1996 in order to take the business side of 'poemtry' seriously. "We were not satisfied with the infrastructure which existed for poets - it was stagnant," he explained. "There was nothing for poets but a platform, that creates an individual spirit, not a collective one.
CUSSED MUTABARUKA
AND OKU ONOURA
"I was one of the people who cussed Mutabaruka and Oku Onoura as practitioners who were doing nothing to help until I got to know them - I even received personal assistance from him," Rass Rod said.
One of the concepts behind 'poemtry' is a focus on the poem, not the poet. He also believes that there are better standards than those that exists at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) to judge what is dub poetry. "The industry has allowed me to be oriented while doing orientation in the business of poetry. I'm at the point where my business plan is ready, to exploit the production range of the written, audio and visual inventory that exists in Jamaica, from Maas Raan to Ginsu (a young poet)," he explained to The Gleaner.
Born in Duhaney Park in St. Andrew - where all the streets are named after poets Rass Rod explained - he shares a birthday of sorts with the Poetry Society of Jamaica - May 30. He has a very unique sense of style and has been known to wear a dress. When asked to explain, he said, "I am one of those males who is very much in tune with the female side of me." Clearly not someone who cares much about other people's opinions, he went on to state, "That's why people love me, I'm for real."
